All our reviews

UNique – 9/10

If you want to experience the quintessential charm of a Central European town, there is no better place than Český Krumlov. With the castle tower perched high on the river promontory above the town, and the small bridges hopping over the meandering river beneath, the landscape is idyllic to the point of feeling unreal. A visitor would be hard-pressed to find a spot in town that does not offer a view, and every corner reveals a new sight.

ESsential – 10/10

Like many other towns in Czechia, it is worth to simply take in Český Krumlov without any agenda or itinerary. Outside of the Old Town on the peninsula, there are many paths along the Vltava river and in the Castle grounds. Getting up to a height above the town is an incredibly pleasant experience as it affords you to take in the photogenic town.

COst-effective – 9/10

While paying to visit the Castle is not a must in order to appreciate it, we decided to pay for the admission to the Castle Museum and the Castle Tower. The entrance fee of 150 Czech korunas ended up being totally worth it. From the tower, you could really look at the entire Old Town, and the Museum was surprisingly interesting with a nice glimpse into the life of the castle residents, as well as some odd exhibits like mummified remains of the local clergy.

The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserves is one of those really unique world heritage sites. As far as I can tell there is nothing on the list that compares to it: a forest full of butterflies. Simply amazing.

With my mandatory guide, I hiked into the park. At first, there were scores of dying butterflies on the ground. Then we ran into larger clouds of butterflies swirling in the air. And eventually, we made it to the butterfly covered trees.

Unfortunately, I visited before lunch. The time wasn't perfect. The parks are in the mountains and before lunch, it's cloudy and potentially too cold for the butterflies to fly around. They even put up a sign (see picture).

Getting There

The first question for getting there is not about the location: It's about the time. The monarch butterflies migrate North during summer and are only in the area during winter, roughly November to March. I came in December/January so this was not an issue. Visiting outside butterfly season does not count in my eyes.

I went on a day trip from Mexico City by bus. There are 1-2 daily connections to Angangueo. We arrived in Angangueo around 11 a.m. From there I took a cab (negotiate rate) to take me to El Rosario and back.

I had been in Morelia before and I am pretty sure you can arrive from that direction, too. But I was short on time and little information on bus …

Zaruma is a small mining town that was once a major player in the Spanish colonial gold trade. Unlike typical Spanish colonial towns, Zaruma doesn't have a grid pattern though it still manages a small central plaza. Most of the older buildings are made of local wood and have a more typical local style of construction rather than a colonial one. In some areas even the sidewalks are still made of wood. Unfortunately wood doesn't age very well so in some ways the town looks older and more run down than it is but overall it was quite clean and still preserved well enough to get a good feel for what they are trying to convey with the nomination. 

We visited on a weekend and apart from the heavier than expected local traffic (road options are few for drivers) it was overall pretty quiet. We got the impression they don't receive many foreign visitors. We were stared at quite a bit (in a friendly way) and the guy at the tourist information was very excited to see us, showering us with gifts and all sorts of information (and coffee!). There are beautiful views from around town and the small museum and local gold mine, sexmo (just a short walk from the centre) are both free to visit. We liked the town well enough but there isn't really much to keep you occupied for more than half a day and there are no major construction works or "wow" buildings to …

The Okavango Delta was the 1000th WHS on the List, it “… has long been considered one of the biggest gaps on the World Heritage list” and was deliberately planned to gain this milestone marker at the 2014 WHC. Almost the same amount of coordination was done by me in my 2019 travel planning to let this magnificent and truly unique site be my 700th visited WHS. I stayed there for 4 nights: 2 in a lodge near Chief’s Island and 2 nights camping in Moremi Game Reserve.

My first acquaintance however with the Delta was on the way back by helicopter from the Tsodilohills. We flew south-eastward along the water channels. This central area of the Okavango turned out to be pretty dry as well. What you see from the air is a patchwork of coloured ‘islands’ among dried-up land and trails made by animals. Animal sightings included pools full of hippos, slowly moving elephant trains and crocodiles sunbathing on beaches.

On the next day, I was transported by one of these lovely bush planes to Oddballs’ Enclave on Chief’s Island. Oddball’s Enclave is a more recent (and even more expensive) offspring of the historic ‘hippy’ camp mentioned by Solivagant in his review of a visit in 1988. In the shoulder season of May, the rack rate here is 510 USD per person per night. For that, you sleep in a tent and have to use a bucket shower. Yes the tent does have a real bed …

August 2018 - one of our main goals on that trip. The city is not beautiful i was heavily bombed in WW2, but the reconstruction, or rather complete new set up by August Perret, is a perfect model city. All the concrete buildings, which are made from the old ruins, align like model houses on a toy train. You feel like making a journey back to the 50s. The houses and parks look, like they just were planted or pulled up,

The harbour city has a very special mediteranean flair. We were at the city beach for about 1 hour up. We visited some of the buildings. Although I am not a big fan of modern churches, this chuch is just stunning. The colors of the small glass windows are perfectly aligned and create a special atmosphere. It was designed by a women as we learned. Too bad for the old Le Havre getting lost, but the new one is very special too.

July 2011 - Biketrip in Holland. First Thing we visited after leaving the Train in Hilversum was this marvelous piece of modern Architecture. A great example, sorry it left the tentative list.

It is locacted in the middle of the pagan landscape and pine trees. We made some rounds around the building by bike. Definietly worth visiting when you are in Utrecht anyway.

I visited this WHS in May 2019. After a long drive from London and due to the cloudy weather upon arrival, I opted to head straight to my cottage/inn just after Wareham and only a short stroll from Lulworth Cove.

I really enjoyed walking for hours on end from one cove/beach/viewpoint to the next along the Coast Path, gazing in awe at the geological marvel and natural beauty of the Devon 'Jurassic' Coast WHS. Just a few steps away to the right (away from the cove) from the pay and display Lulworth Cove Parking Lot, a small trail will lead you to a panoramic viewpoint of Stair Hole which is sculpted from three rock types and further on to a magnificent viewpoint of Lulworth Cove.

Here not only will you find the UNESCO inscription plaque but it is one of the best spots to view from right to left, rocks from 150 to 65 million years ago - namely Portland stone, Purbeck beds, wealden beds, greensand and chalk, from oldest to youngest. The rocks were formed underwater and were later tilted as the continents collided. In fact some 10,000 years ago, the sea flooded in the huge river of glacial meltwater which was Lulworth Cove, removing the softer rocks behind the wall of Portland stone. The tilted layers of rock visible at Lulworth Cove, Stair Hole and elsewhere along the inscribed Devon Coast are the result of what is technically known as folding. In my opinion this is …

On my way to Mdina I visited the St Paul's Catacombs. These date from Roman times and were used as burial grounds. The site covers several small and large caves and makes for a nice visit. Watch your head as the height of the caves varies greatly.

To me the most surprising feature was how many caves there were. The whole area is dotted with them. The Maltase have done a good job in making them accessible. It is useful, though, to bring a flash light as lighting is poor.

After a while, though, the caves got to be a bit repetitive. The caves look more or less the same and any form of artistic expression is missing.

OUV

Having seen a few catacombs over the years I am hard pressed to see the uniqueness of this variant. It's certainly a nice visit and you should do the small detour when visiting Mdina. But in and of itself it feels as too little to warrant inscription.

I could see this as either a combined site with Mdina (but not sure how one would spin that). Or as a combination with other Roman ruins on the Maltese islands if these exist.

While You Are There

I combined the visit with Ħaġar Qim and then walked along the Coastal Cliffs to the St Pauls Catacombs continuing onward to Mdina. This could have been a fairly pleasant walk, but Malta does not offer hiking …

July 2018 - on our Roadtrip we finally entered the Province Normandy. The first city we visited was Rouen. It consists of norrow streets and squares with romantic timber framed houses. We parked the car on the outside and took our bikes around. The cathedral is also marvelous. It is a very charming cit ynad we had dinner in a small french bistrom drinking cidre and eating some legumes. We also found giant macarons, that are the size of your hands. A wonderful experience, we will come back soon.

I visited this WHS in May 2019. Even though I have visited my uncountable cathedrals and churches worldwide, I must say I enjoyed my visit to the Canterbury Cathedral and inscribed sites. Restoration works are currently in full swing covering most of the cathedral's exterior and the main nave inside, however the highlights of my visit inside the cathedral could be enjoyed easily, namely the cathedral choir (try to combine your visit when they are practicing), the colour frescoes in the Chapel of St Gabriel inside the crypt and the fan vaulted ceiling of the Bell Harry Tower (photo).

I parked my car at the very convenient pay per use Longport Car Park, just in front on St Augustine's Abbey. On purpose, I headed first to the 1400+ year old St. Martin's Church, the oldest church in English-speaking countries which is still in use. The wooden entrance to the small cemetery and the carved baptism font were worth viewing for free but special mention goes to the very kind, dedicated and polite old locals who take it in turns to make sure that the small church is at least open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11am to 3pm and on Saturdays till 4pm (apart from the Sunday mass).

From this small church I followed the Queen Bertha's Walk which links the three components of this WHS (there are iron UNESCO signs on the floor in front of each inscribed site and a new inscription plaque just before …

I visited this WHS in May 2019. It was a very convenient stopover from London en route to Canterbury. The entrance ticket is expensive but considering the Historic Dockyard's size and other industrial WHS already on the list it's quite reasonable. Parking is also included in the ticket and if you visit on a quiet morning like I did, most probably you'll be parking inside the 1848 No. 5 Covered Slip.

Even though I'm not an industrial heritage fan, I was pleasantly surprised with this tentative WHS. To a certain extent its OUV is justified and it might even fill in some maritime heritage gaps if inscribed. It is at least as deserving as the other industrial WHS in the UK. All the fortifications built to defend this strategic dockyard are included and can be easily viewed for free if you're travelling by car. The best examples are Fort Amherst and Upnor Castle even though all in all the Lower Lines and Great Lines Heritage Parks are a bit neglected.

The Historic Dock information video at the visitor centre gives a very good overview of how the bygone age of sails, industrialisation, the new iron age, steam power, underwater warfare are all represented in one ensemble of over a hundred buildings and structures, some of which are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. The dockyard is run on the principle of preservation through reuse. Some of the buildings are open to visitors, while others are occupied by residential tenants, businesses and …

July 2018 - Roadtrip to Normandy.

What a cathedral. In this trip we visited many cathedrals and cannot decide, which one was the most beautiful. But Amiens was the first french cathedral and definitely ranges on top. The whole city is strongly linked to grand guerre and artwork depicts old fotos of soldiers on the house walls. When we were there, the city was covered in umbrellas, also nice. After visiting Amiens there are many WW I tentative sites nearby to visit. We went first east to Albert, before going further West.

Valletta offers natural harbors on both sides of the peninsula on which it is located. Each harbor is protected by massive fortifications and forts along its shores. The fortifications were continuously improved by the local rulers (first the Knights of Malta, then the British) and repelled many attackers over the centuries.

Most noticeably, they repelled the Ottomans during the Great Siege of Malta. The event marked the end of Ottoman naval supremacy in the Mediterranean.

OUV

I fully concur with Ralf's assessment. This would be a obvious and well warranted extension to the Valletta WHS. Honestly, without researching the proper boundaries of the Valletta WHS, it feels like the surrounding forts are already part of it anyhow. A separate inscription meanwhile would be redundant. So yes for an extension. And no for a separate site.

Getting There

Fort St Elmo is located on the tip of the Valletta peninsula. It houses the National War Museum and should be included in any visit of Valletta.

From the Lower Barraka Gardens you get great views of Fort St Angelo (picture). To visit, you are best served to take the regular (every 30min or so) Three City Ferry.

To the North you find Fort Tigne and Dragut Point. From this spot the corsair Dragut bombarded Fort St Elmo during the Ottoman siege. In later 19th century the British built batteries here. The Silema ferry takes you here. At the time of writing construction work …

Similarly to Els and Ian I ended up visiting both Cuernavaca and Tepoztlán. I say ended up as my original plan was to only visit Cuernavaca. Cuernavaca has the benefit that you are passing through the town in any case when travelling from Mexico City to Xochicalco by bus. So it's really quite a simple and quick visit.

However, Cuernavaca is underwhelming as a site. Of the inscribed monasteries, Cuernavaca is the one which was redone and remodeled the most over the centuries. So much so that little original 16th century constructions remain. The oldest part is the open chapel, the Capilla abierta. And frankly I barely noticed it.

So after I had done my loop through Mexico on my last day in Mexico I traveled to Tepoztlán to fill the gap. Tepoztlán is the superior site with an actual monastery and pretty murals being preserved. I really enjoyed my visit and if you were to visit one of the two, I would go for Tepoztlán.

Getting There

Both Tepoztlán and Cuernavaca are connected by direct express bus from Mexico City. Cuernavaca has multiple bus terminal while the bus stop in Tepoztlán is on the main road on the outskirts of the town.

While You Are There

From Cuernavaca you can connect to Xochicalco by bus. Cuernavaca also boasts a nice old town, specifically the market square with the home of Cortes. Tepoztlán is a fairly sleepy town. The main attraction is the …

Empúries, with the emphasis on plural S, are ancient ruins at the east coast of Catalonia, a good 2h away from the Barcelona and apparently getting plenty of French tourists. With the Dali museum in Figueres nearby it is not entirely off the beaten track but the smaller roads one has to take is exactly the reason why the towns fell into ruins so long ago. The Roman roads neglected the towns of Empuries and other port towns were favored over them.

I wasn't sure if I should bother with it either. I watched a video about the ruins and saw some pictures and wasn't impressed at all. I am so glad I ignored my first impression. The entrance is €5.50 and includes a small guide pamphlet but more importantly an audio guide in 6 languages. The guide is really what sells this place. It made me wonder if there is a specific site that rates audio guides for sites or if WHS audio guides may warrant an extra rating for it. If you just wander through the ruins, reading the few panels and trying to make sense of things plus reading up stuff online would be silly. Rightly so the museum knows this and doesn't charge an extra few bucks for this.

The most interesting and unique section is he Greek town. An old trade port later annexed by the Romans but always separate until the towns demises, is what I would see as a definite inclusion …

July/August 2018 - I learned quite intensively and detailed about the Grand Guerre. In German schools WW2 and the prior rise to power by the Nazis is extensively discussed, but without understanding the reasons and the effects of WW1 it doesnt really make sense.

With crossing of the border we arrived in the zone rouge. It is not only devistated by mining but also due to the war. North of Arras, we came through crater landscapes, where you can still see the trenches, were French/British troops were fighting the German troops. Quite impressive, that it has fomred this area so much. East of Amiens we visited the Australian cemetery (a frightning amount of graves) where you wonder why Australians, Arabs, Maoris, Chinese, and, and and were fighting for nonsense in European dexterity. We went further to Albert and the Lochnagar-Krater (dont understand why this is not on the tentative list). The touristic scope seems to be mostly on WWI in this area. 

Towards the end of our roadtrip we crossed the region around Verdun. more than 1 million soldieres died here within one giant battle. There are many sites around here that shall be visited: Fort de Douaumont was already built before in preparation of a Franco-german war, but the most impressive, thoughtful places is the Douaumont Ossuary which holds the remains of 130000 unidentified soldiers.

WW1 is probably the most perverted event in history that evolved due to strengthening of nationalist ideas. It was the last …

July 2018 - Arras was the first, and so far only, Vauban fortifiaction that we visited, actually we visited Lille as well. That one is no WHS though.

In Arras, there are some post WWII buildings that are destroying the authenticity. But the fort is quite amazing. Hope to see more of them in order to be able to judge.

One of the things I love about World Heritage Sites is how they can expose you to places, or in the case of the Flemish Béguinages, concepts, that I had not known before. History tends to be rather male-focused, and while I was aware women often had limited options in life in medieval times (with marriage or religious orders being some of the more common choices), I had never learned about the béguinages in northern Europe. These religious societies offered single women an option to live together in a community while retaining independence to come and go at will. When I visited the city of Bruges last August, I made sure to stop by the Begijnhof, tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. The béguinage is now home to Benedictine nuns, but the museum within the site shows the comfortable life a woman would have had living there, with her own kitchen and dining area (which could also be used for making handicrafts), bedroom, and an outdoor garden. The Begijnhof also has a rather nice church, where the women in residence would attend regular services. Although I didn't get to visit any other béguinages while in Belgium, the Begijnhof was a great introduction to a unique aspect of Flemish history.

Logistics: While one can view the exterior of the Begijnhof on any of the canal boat tours of Bruges, I highly recommend walking to this peaceful corner of the city.

As a day trip from Nara I visited Yoshino to see the Kii Mountains. From the valley where the train station is located I took a cable car up the hill. I arrived in a tourist village with plenty of shops and restaurants. The village also contains Kinpusen-ji, an important temple of the region.

From the village I set out to hike along the pilgrim path into the Kii Mountains. On my way I crossed multiple temples and everything quieted down; there were not that many hikers, but that may have been caused by me visiting outside vacation season.

Along the trail I passed several temples, e.g. Kinpu Shrine shown in the picture. However, the scenery wasn't great as this is still a fairly civilized area. Some parts were even open to logging activities. Personally, I would have liked to venture further into the mountain range, probably with an overnight. My expectation would be that the more remote parts should offer a better experience. Still, I had a nice time.

Arriving in autumn I did miss on the most famous feature of Yoshino, though. The Japanese believe Mount Yoshinoyama to be Japan's best cherry blossom viewing spot.

Getting There

There are several access points to the Kii Mountains. From Nara you can go to Yoshino by direct train. Be aware that the train line is private and not included in the Japan Rail pass. Along the way you will pass the tentative site of …

Visited September 2018

Quito is a very beautiful, well-preserved and tourist-friendly city. You can safely walk around the city center and become amazed at its beauty, and visit a lot of Baroque buildings, especially churches.

While in Quito I visited some of them. The ones I would definitely recommend are Compañía de Jesús and San Francisco. The first has an admission ticket and you can join a guided tour inside with no extra cost. You can visit the second for free, both the church and the cloister, but the museum it hosts has an entrance fee. You can also take a free tour guide there. Both are great examples of the Escuela Quiteña, the buildings themselves and the works of art you can admire inside.

Apart from those two, I visited the Cathedral, the Monasterio del Carmen Alto and the Museo de la Ciudad. They are all interesting examples of the same artistic school. The Museo de la Ciudad also hosts a very informative exhibition about Quito's history that I strongly recommend.

Outside the city center, I recommend visiting the recently refurbished Museo Nacional, where you can learn about Ecuador and its culture. And a bit further away, the TeleferiQo, where you can have a full view of the city from 4000 metres above sea level, is a must. You can see the highest volcanoes of Ecuador (Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe...) from there too.

I happened to be in Quito during the 40th anniversary of it …